Report of the Fifth Meeting of the Global Forum Steering Committee

R. S. Paroda, Chair of the Global Forum Steering Committee (GFAR-SC) reported to the CGIAR Mid-Term Meeting in May 1999. A meeting of the committee was held in Beijing on May 23, 1999 just prior to MTM 99. This report of that meeting was circulated later.The meeting dealt with preparations for the meeting dubbed GFAR-2000, scheduled for Dresden, Germany in May 2000, a progress report of the GFAR secretariat, the development of GFAR's European Forum, approval of a program of work for 1999-2000, and financial requirements of GFAR-SC and the NARS Global Secretariat (NARS-GSC).The GFAR-SC met in closed session, with Ismail Serageldin, Chairman of the CGIAR,. The discussion covered the need for a consensus on biotechnology, the gap between science and field reality, and coordination of GFAR and the CGIAR.